One less thing to worry about...

This morning I made my way to our local Civic Center to get my second dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

It was a much longer line than last time. The sun was out and it was pretty warm.

The line wrapped around the building but at least it moved fast.

From what I could hear the people in line say there was the Pfizer vaccine for those who were there for their second dose, Moderna for first-timers, and Johnson & Johnson for individuals that worked for the school district. I can not vouch for its accuracy as it was hearsay.

Today we reached a high of 92 degrees...but a cool front should be making its way here tomorrow.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Yardwork / Ross / DD's / Miscellaneous Purchases

You know how Google Photos sends albums of what you did last year and/or 2 years ago... It was then that I saw how out of control the yard was at this same time period in comparison to now. I suppose I have to credit the freeze and the twelve inches of snow we received this year for it still being manageable. With that in mind, I have been doing some yard work and was able to fill a 55-gallon contractor bag of garden debris.

Yesterday I drove into town to pick up the mail and decided to stop at Ross a store I have not been to for months. Immediately saw an item I could use for my bad back.

I liked the fact that it could be strapped either to your car seat or in my case my chair as I did last night.

I was not looking for this next item but I could not pass up these Cedar Hanger Rings for only $2.99.

At another time in my life, I would have bought this tea kettle solely because it came in a lovely color and could be used as a decorative piece...glad I am over that phase.

Not a bad price either.

I was near DD's which is owned by the same company that owns Ross and has very reasonable prices. I use Olive Oil on my salads and even though this is Canola Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil you can not beat the price.

The following item was like it was waiting for me to show up to purchase it. I have no idea how to use it but perhaps someone that comes to help me (Triple-A guy) might be able to make it work. I  bought it without hesitation and left it in my glove box.

DD's has a lot of As Seen On TV items at discount prices. As you know I have no use for my cellphone other than taking pictures. I usually carry it in a separate bag in my purse that is hard to get to when driving. A couple of years ago I bought one of these from Amazon paying four times as much for mine so I could have the phone near me...it did not work out in the end and is somewhere in my many containers.

This evening we are expecting thunderstorms per KENS-5 they are currently falling in the northern part of Val Verde County.  I have my rain catchment ready to harvest however much mother nature decides to send our way.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Friends, Sleep, Rain, Hail in the Alamo City

I have been so tired lately I have actually been going to bed early and sleeping all night. I got a call from my HOA lady friend whom I had not spoken to in a long time. She suffered a stroke two years ago and at her son's behest moved in with him. Her son disconnected her landline without telling her and got her a smartphone which she hates. She is the second of my friends who have been forced to adapt to a cellphone that they neither requested nor desired.

She told me her neighbors had called to let her know that she had broken pipes in her garage and she had water running down her driveway. It brought memories of 1989 when the same thing happened to me during Christmas when I was in Del Rio. Thank goodness I had good neighbors at that time and he turned off my water.

They had a hard time getting a plumber to come to fix the pipes she was on a three-week waiting list until a friend of her son's referred someone to them.  I was so emotionally drained after our talk I went to bed at nine o'clock!

Today I spoke to my best friend for three hours...it had been a long time since I had spoken to her...we keep in touch by e-mail. Her boyfriend and she are always taking their RV on the road. As a matter of fact, they had left it at a campground and came home to take care of some business and will be going back shortly.

This morning I cleaned out the metal as well as the plastic water catchment containers as we are expecting rain this evening. While I spoke to her the wind began to howl and we had a short but heavy and much-needed downpour.

So far the evening rains have failed to materialize but they cut into the evening programming to alert San Antonio residents of hail for some parts of the Alamo City.  Hope it does not cause a lot of damage.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

A leisurely drive to Governors Landing

I had every intention of testing out my car on Wednesday but we had very strong winds that at times reached 40 mph so I postponed my trip to town to Thursday afternoon. I held my breath as I turned on the car and lucky for me everything was normal.

I had to run some errands in the north part of town when I got a wild hair and decided to drive to Lake Amistad so I could drive the car on the highway since that seems to fix it temporarily. The speed limit is 70 mph but for some short intervals found myself doing 80 mph.

It has been a very long time since I came out this way. There are a lot of new businesses and buildings. I will have to read my own blog to determine when was the last time I was here. For example, I had no idea what this building was. Upon further research, I learned that it is the new headquarters for the Amistad National Park Service and that it used to be the old Amistad Power Sports building near Blackbrush.

I of course had to head out to my favorite campground at the Amistad National Recreation Area...Governors Landing. The first thing that caught my eye was that the overnight camping fee had gone up to $10 from the previous $8.00.

It quickly became apparent the reason for the increase. They have made upgrades to their camping sites by expanding them and adding a tent camping area to each.

Newer stronger, and nicer garbage cans.

If you hurry up you can have this site with a view.

While there were a few campers there most came in their RV's or trailers. Only one site had three camping tents set up.

Thankfully the strong winds that were prevalent on Wednesday were no longer a problem Thursday.

I would be remiss if I did not include this picture for a friend of mine though I have no idea if they still read me...you know who you are...I do not recall that huge tower being there before but that may be due to my CRS. :-)

I was too tired to make a blog post last night so I am making an early (versus midnight) post this afternoon.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Midnight is cruising for a bruising...

I use to have a friend who worked in the service department of an auto dealership in Houston. He would tell me horror stories of the condition some of their automobile mechanics showed up at work. He gave me what I consider to be sound advice that I have followed to this day. You may or may not agree but from my own experience, it holds true.

1)  If at all possible do not book an appointment for a Friday, Saturday, or a Monday...why? We are talking about the Greater Houston area where there is always something to do and young adults start their weekends on Thursday night. Per my friend, many showed up sleepy and in some cases drunk or hungover on Friday morning. Others who did not go out on Thursday night usually had plans for Friday night that involved a date and mechanics were thinking about that rather than the work at hand...same applied for Saturday.

2) Sunday young men congregate in the afternoon to watch football, basketball, or baseball games that involve cook-outs, tailgating, or sports bars and the consumption of large amounts of alcohol that will inevitably affect their performance on Monday morning.

3) Do not be the first-morning appointment. Young adults do not go to bed early and if they stay up to watch a sports game they are running on very little sleep and may still have alcohol in their systems.

You may be asking yourself...why is Belinda bringing this up?  Hold on...I'm getting there! After my car incident of February 27th, I have been on pins and needles hoping I did not have a repeat performance whenever I have had to run an errand in town (we live outside the city limits). This past Thursday, March 11th my luck ran out, and after my first errand as I was heading to my next stop the dashboard lit up once more. I was so mad I wanted to kick "Midnight"...Midnight by the way is my car's name...NOT one of my cats!

I was too far away from the dealership so I just decided to drive back home since Midnight was driveable. Following my friend's advice, I called the dealership, and without me asking for a Tuesday appointment it turned out that was the earliest day they could schedule me for.

I called Triple-A (American Automobile Association) to schedule a tow truck that took me to my appointment today. He asked me to pull my car out of the garage and again the dash lit up. The tow driver was very reassuring and told me that they would have my car fixed in no time...was my anxiety that obvious?

The last time I was at the dealership they quoted me $175.00 or more to have my car diagnosed. This time they told me it would be $135.00 since it was cheaper I did not bother to ask why the difference in price and agreed to have it serviced.

My appointment was at 9:00 a.m. and I was there until 2:33 p.m. everyone that was waiting for their vehicles had left and I was the only customer left in the waiting room. They finally came to tell me that they had been driving my car on Highway 90 and Highway 277 at different time intervals trying to replicate what I was experiencing but having no luck. I was told the same thing I was previously told...bring it back if it happens again. Like last time they did not charge me anything which I appreciated.

I have been researching online and this seems to be a common problem with different models and different years Toyota's. Many people on that thread gave the same advice as Hachita to take it to Auto Zone to have it diagnosed yet the same problem resurfaced even after replacing the parts that they recommended.

Midnight is cruising for a bruising....grrrrr!!!

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Murder at San Felipe Cemetery / Xylia / Vaccine Hesitation

We sadly had our first murder of the year involving a 27-year-old woman mother to six children. She was shot to death at San Felipe Cemetery one of our oldest and historic cemeteries. The good news is that two people have been arrested one a man who is the main suspect and a young woman. Authorities have been tight-lipped about the investigation.

While winter storm Xylia did not bring the arctic cold and snow that it has to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nebraska it did bring tornados, hail, and bad weather to the Texas Panhandle. All this week we have been dealing with strong wind gusts. All the cars are covered with dust. I have been surprised that Mr. Joe has not washed his car or his wife's truck as his vehicles are always impeccable. Late this afternoon I did see him washing the truck...where is my tall weathered cowboy so he can wash mine? 😢

Not much going on in the Del Rio branch of Terlingua Dreams. Though I have been spending considerable time on the phone talking to family, friends, and acquaintances. To say that I am aghast at what I have been hearing is putting it mildly.  

Even though most of the people I spoke with live in Houston where there are more than ample supplies of Covid-19 vaccinations and mass vaccination sites where you do not even have to get down from your vehicle they consider it to be a nuisance...they will wait for vaccines to arrive at their local pharmacies!

Others do not plan on getting vaccinated at all...I tell you just when you think you know someone...it turns out you do not know them at all! That is when I was uplifted by a story I read in The Eagle Pass News-Leader that showed a man carrying his elderly mother over his shoulder in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, México (across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas) so she could get her Covid-19 vaccine. It showed comments of readers offering the man used wheelchairs and walkers and commending the unidentified man for being such a good son!

Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Current and Previous Header Pictures

Propane delivery / Electric bill

I called last Thursday to schedule a propane delivery but was told they were running behind and would probably not be able to get to me until Friday or sometime this week. I requested that they call me when they were on their way so I could open the gate.

She asked me how much propane I had in the tank which I thought odd but I told her. I suppose to prioritize deliveries? They never made it Friday or Monday so I called this morning and she promised delivery but could not pinpoint a time as again she mentioned they were very busy.

Before

Went to open the gate and finally at 4:27 p.m. he made it to the house. I had come inside to write a check when the telephone rang and it was the Pico girl I had spoken to this morning calling to say that the guy could not find my house and if I could give her instructions on how to get here...WTH informed her he had already made the delivery and I was writing him a check as we spoke!

After

It has been a year since I ordered some and it certainly has gone up...I wonder if the arctic front had anything to do with it?

If you ordered 75 gallons or more you were given a lower price that being $2.85 per gallon for a total of $213.75.

Monday at 1:20 a.m. I got an email from CPL (our electric provider) with the heading Your CPL Retail Energy Bill is Available.  I have to admit I did not want to open it and I didn't until yesterday afternoon. I was relieved that it was reasonable but the news is saying we won't see increases in our bills until next month.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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Limits on some items at Walmart

Walgreens? Are you kidding me?

I do not go out much and if I do I am paying attention while I am driving that sometimes I miss when they demolish a building or when new construction goes up. A couple of weeks ago I happened to see a small building going up about the size of a convenience store and it had a small sign that read Walgreens. Not looking anything like the traditional Walgreens store I figured someone put it up as a joke.

This afternoon I noticed the construction was finished and there was a car parked in the back. I almost died laughing when I realized it was in fact a small Walgreens? I think Del Rio deserves a regular Walgreens like Uvalde and Eagle Pass both have...not a mini one!

I made a U-turn and parked at Bel's Furniture that sits across from this new business so I could photograph it for the blog. Dang...I miss Houston!

As I was sorting through my junk mail this evening I found this little pamphlet with a 15% off coupon that I had not even noticed.

The next time you are passing through Del Rio and forgot to fill your Walgreens prescriptions you can always stop here. It is located on the city's main drag 909 Veterans Blvd. Be on the lookout for it because if you blink you will miss it!

We had wicked winds all-day making it feel much colder than the 80-degree temperature we enjoyed today. A cold front came through.  

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Errands / Partially empty shelves / Gov. opens State 100%

This morning I could not believe it was already Wednesday. I woke up to the noise of the neighbors rolling their garbage bins to the curb. I wait until around 10:00 a.m. to put ours out after everyone has gone to work or is inside their house. Once again had to pick up trash along the fence line.

Mornings have been in the low 40's but it is the wind that makes it feel much cooler so I had not even tried to take the car out again since Saturday but I had to go to the post office. I was a bit nervous about the possibility of breaking down on the road but thankfully nothing happened.

After running errands I stopped at the main HEB and was surprised some shelves were partially bare they had more stuff at Little HEB the last time I was there. Why are people still panic buying?

Few cold cuts.  Is everyone still eating sandwiches?

Plenty of whole milk but I drink 1 and 2% milk...had to settle for half a gallon.

Why are they out of ice cream...it has been cold lately.

Of course, toilet paper and paper towels are the first to go. Though in fairness they did have enough. If after what we went through last year...you do not have a stash of toilet paper in your house...that's on you!

It was around 5:00'ish and I had not eaten since breakfast so I will blame my low glucose levels rather than my lack of self-control for purchasing a cherry pie, a strawberry coffee cake, mini muffins, chocolate chip cookies, potato salad, along with a can of Nestle powder hot chocolate mix.

For some reason, the avocados (.59 each) and my serranos do not show up in the picture I took as I was checking out.

In case you do not follow Texas news our Governor has opened up the state 100% and removed the mask mandate making us the laughing stock of the nation. In a state where only 6.5% of the population has been vaccinated, he decides to do this without consulting with his medical team?

Seems the debacle regarding the failed power grid during our arctic storm is getting to the governor and he wants to get in his constituent's good graces. So who cares if we have more cases or workers are killed trying to enforce mask mandates that business owners have the right to enforce if they so choose.  I for one will continue wearing two masks, my face shield, and gloves.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

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